Spinifex Gum
- Where Elder Park
- Prices
Tickets for this event are no longer available.
- 2 hours 30 minutes, inc. interval Duration* Due to the nature of live music, the duration listed is an estimate only.
- Elder Park Location
- Season 2023, Special Event Category
Featuring the first performance of the Citizens’ Orchestra
Free Event
Since its stunning premiere at the 2018 Adelaide Festival, Spinifex Gum has disarmed and uplifted audiences across Australia, bringing together the lush vocals of Marliya, the music of Felix Riebl and Ollie McGill (The Cat Empire) and the choreography of Deborah Brown.
In this fully orchestrated version, the artists of Spinifex Gum will be joined by the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and powerhouse singer-songwriter Emma Donovan as Adelaide Festival’s free opening night concert returns to Elder Park.
A Cairns-based choir of talented young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and girls, Marliya is the beating heart of Spinifex Gum. Under Lyn Williams AM (Gondwana Choirs), their vibrant voices blend stunning harmonies with a joyous pop-choir sound, singing in both English and Yindjibarndi to speak to important social and cultural issues with passion and exuberance.
This unique show confronts some of the most hard-hitting issues of our time, while emphasising the importance of empowerment and recognising what can be achieved when we come together as one.
The concert will open with the premiere performance of the Citizens’ Orchestra, part of the ASO’s landmark community engagement project – ‘Floods of Fire’. Under the artistic direction of Airan Berg, and the musical direction of Tim Steiner & Ricardo Baptista, the 2023 ensemble consists of Adelaide Symphony Orchestra musicians, local South Australian artists, Quirkestra (Tutti Arts), amateur community musicians, and community members who have never before been involved in music. The ensemble has been created through an exciting collaborative & community-centric creative process and innovative participatory workshops. The concert includes first performances of their original collaborative compositions, inspired by South Australian landscapes, communities, and experiences.
Join with us in celebration and protest under the stars as we open the 2023 Adelaide Festival.
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